Chinese company builds a super network of 10,000 satellites

According to the plan, the Honghu-3 satellite network will include a total of 10,000 satellites, operating on 160 orbital planes.

Lanjian Hongqing Technology Shanghai (Hongqing Technology) , affiliated with commercial rocket manufacturer Landspace, submits information on plans to build a new satellite network to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Space News reported on May 27. The network, called Honghu-3 , includes a total of 10,000 satellites operating in 160 orbital planes.

Landspace's Zhuque-2 rocket launched from the Jiuquan spaceport on December 8, 2023. (Photo: Landspace).

The submission of information is intended to inform the ITU and member states of plans to launch a network or system of satellites into space. They can then evaluate the new satellite network to see if there is a risk of interference with existing or planned satellite systems.

Honghu is the third super network with more than 10,000 satellites planned in China. The previous two super networks were named Guowang and G60 Starlink, both of which were approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The first batches of satellites of these two super networks are expected to launch in the next few months.

Honghu will likely continue to raise concerns about its crowded, collision-prone, and debris-rich conditions in low Earth orbit. Currently, American company SpaceX's Starlink is the largest satellite network with more than 5,000 active satellites and plans to deploy up to 42,000 satellites.

Hongqing Technology was founded in 2017, is headquartered in Shanghai and is known for developing Hall propulsion technology. The company is building a satellite manufacturing base in Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, near Shanghai. Hongqing Technology's Jinwu-200 krypton-fueled Hall thruster was tested on the Honghu-2 satellite, launched into space by Landspace's Zhuque-2 rocket last December.

Meanwhile, Landspace is developing a reusable liquid methane-oxygen rocket called Zhuque-3. This 4.5 m diameter rocket will be capable of carrying 21,000 kg of cargo into low Earth orbit. This vehicle is expected to launch for the first time in 2025.

China is building a commercial spaceport near Wenchang to help solve the launch pad shortage. This is essential to help China increase its launch speed and quickly build super satellite networks.